Great Design from Tea-off Competition

A competition called “Tea-off” held sponsored by “World Kitchen” has announced its winner for 2009. There are 237 entries and finally, we got three winners and 25 honorees. Followings are the picture of three winnes, the first one is my favorite, that is really cool.

1. ONE Teakettle designed by Dan Chung, Tony Ruth, Steve Abueva and Mike Serafin

ONE is a single vessel designed to both boil and serve, enabling a simpler, more direct user experience. The ONE Teakettle has an intuitive magnetic trivet that attaches to the base only when the kettle is hot, so the user can bring it directly to the table for serving.

Decorative graphic patterns are applied with thermochromic inks, which become visible as the water boils. This visual cue that the water is ready also creates an elegant aesthetic at the table.

2. Spin designed by Martin M. Giroud

This design for a steel teakettle proposes a new, highly functional, safer way to pour liquid that causes less strain. Based on the idea of keeping a stable center of gravity (thus the sphere), the user pours, not by tipping the kettle, but by sliding a switch to activate a mechanism that tips the spout forward to pour, creating a delightful motion. As a result, neither arm nor wrist is used to pour, minimizing effort while improving balance, control and precision.

3. TEA-GO designed by Robert Englert, Bianca Leigh and Carlos Suarez

It’s a fast-paced, cluttered world, and yet kettles and microwaves have not adjusted well to the demand for a single cup of tea as a specialty. Based on observations into all the ways people adapt containers to heat tea water and transport tea, this design provides an electric base that allows the user to set the correct water temperature; a container that is a no-spill, easy to clean travel cup; and a lip that facilitates the steeping and removal of tea bags.